Thoughtcrime and Punishment: A Year of Shunning and Law Suits at a Canadian University

01/10/2019

Gad Saad of Concordia University in
Montreal, a Lebanese-born advocate of free speech and open inquiry, has always
made a point of telling his audiences to never sit idly by, but to get engaged
and defend the freedoms we have long taken for granted in the Western world. He
laments that our schools are full of timid souls who won't give voice to their
personal convictions for fear of professional consequences-even though in the
Middle East, where he's from, activists will risk death or torture. "Academics
need to be warriors and stand up for freedom of expression," he says. "The pursuit of truth is greater than
careeris[m]."